Target Malaria is carrying out extensive sampling of Anopheles mosquitoes in three locations in sub-Saharan Africa; the Bobo-Dioulasso region of Burkina Faso, Bamako region of Mali, and Lake Victoria islands in Uganda. Ongoing monthly surveys of at least 3 villages in each location are providing us with in-depth knowledge of seasonal fluctuations in mosquito abundance as well as seasonal changes in Anopheles species composition. Weather stations at each site allow us to construct population dynamic models incorporating rainfall data. Anopheles samples from each survey are stored in 80% ethanol for molecular ID purposes, and these mosquitoes will also be a valuable resource for population genomic studies.
We propose using a sample of 20 mosquitoes of each An. gambiae complex species present from one focal village for genomic sequencing at 6 times a year, plus 2 times per year from 4 surrounding sites at different spatial scales. In West Africa we will be sampling An. gambiae s.s., An. coluzzii and An. arabiensis (where available), and in East Africa we will be sampling An. gambiae s.s. and An. arabiensis. We will also archive further samples including An. funestus for potential future sequencing. In total, we propose approximately 1200 mosquitoes per year will be sequenced as part of the Malariagen Observatory programme. Our collections will be continuing until at least Jan 2020.
These samples are being collected as part of Target Malaria, a project to develop novel genetic methods of mosquito control. In addition to the analyses that will be addressed by the MalariaGen Vector Observatory (mosquito dispersal, seasonal fluctuations in population size etc) the genomic data will also be used to identify nucleotide variation at potential target sequences in a wild population, and to provide baseline population genetic data specific to our field sites.
Contributors:
- Samantha O’Loughlin Imperial College London, UK
- Austin Burt Imperial College London, UK
- Abdoulaye Diabaté Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Direction Régionale de l’Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Burkina Faso
- Mamadou B. Coulibaly The Malaria Research and Training Center University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (MRTC-USTTB), Mali
- Jonathan K Kayondo Uganda Virus Research Institute Entebbe, Uganda